Dora Iyigun
Boulder
Summary
Empathetic and self-driven leader passionate about delivering impactful product marketing strategies and compelling messaging that drive results. Proven track record of securing $1.75M+ in revenue, achieving 100% client retention, and leading cross-functional teams to craft scalable solutions. Skilled in stakeholder engagement, go-to-market strategy, and sales enablement, with a knack for transforming complex ideas into clear, resonant narratives. Dedicated to fostering collaboration, streamlining processes, and advancing mission-driven goals with measurable impact.
Overview
8
8
years of professional experience
Work History
Development Manager
Watson Institute
02.2023 - Current
- Market Research & Positioning: Conducted in-depth market research to understand the needs of corporate partners and prospective funders, developing a nuanced understanding of customer personas and their pain points. Translated these insights into compelling value propositions that successfully positioned Watson's Fellowship model as a premier solution for corporate buyers.
- Go-to-Market Strategy: Spearheaded the development and execution of targeted marketing strategies for Watson Institute's Fellowship programs, selling the Fellowship model as a product to corporate and foundation partners. This included crafting messaging and narratives that communicated the transformative impact of the programs on 6,000+ entrepreneurs globally.
- Driving Revenue Growth: Secured over $1.75M in revenue by identifying market opportunities, managing a portfolio of corporate clients contributing $250K–$500K annually, and refining Watson's partnership strategy. Built strong relationships with key decision-makers at Fortune 500 companies and leading foundations, positioning Watson's programs as essential for corporate social responsibility and impact initiatives. Successfully onboarded four new corporate partners while maintaining a 100% client retention rate.
- Sales Enablement & Product Marketing: Created over 250 high-impact sales enablement materials—such as pitch decks, grant proposals, impact reports, and case studies—to engage stakeholders and highlight the transformative outcomes of sponsoring Watson's Fellowship programs. Streamlined and elevated the design of these materials to enhance engagement and align with brand messaging.
- Cross-Functional Collaboration: Partnered with program teams, marketing, and leadership to increase Watson's media presence, showcasing the Fellowship model's impact and securing buy-in from current and prospective partners. This included aligning content strategy with organizational goals to amplify product offers and successes.
- Career Progression & Leadership: Achieved three promotions within 18 months, advancing from Development Coordinator to Development Manager. Recognized for strategic thinking, leadership, and measurable contributions to partner acquisition and retention.
Senior Business Development Manager & Director of Marketing
PeduL
04.2022 - 02.2023
- Multi-Channel Marketing Execution: Designed and implemented PeduL's student recruitment strategy, leveraging a mix of email campaigns, social media, paid advertisements, campus visits, faculty referrals, and events. These efforts expanded outreach to a network of over 1.8 million students, driving platform adoption and engagement.
- Product Design & Messaging Collaboration: Partnered with the tech team to inform product design and ensure alignment with student and client needs. Collaborated with partners to produce marketing content that highlighted PeduL's unique value proposition and resonated with diverse audiences.
- Go-to-Market Strategy for Corporate Clients: Supported the onboarding and retention of 30+ corporate clients by operationalizing account management processes using CRM tools. Streamlined workflows and delivered data-driven insights to improve client engagement and satisfaction.
Lead Associate
Techstars
08.2021 - 04.2022
- Cross-Functional Team Onboarding: Successfully onboarded 50+ team members from 12 organizations, ensuring alignment with accelerator goals and processes.
- Program Operations & Scheduling: Designed and managed the program schedule, coordinating 1,500+ meetings among 12 organizations, 150 mentors, and facilitating 30+ workshops to address key business challenges and growth opportunities.
- Strategic Consulting for Accelerator Companies: Collaborated directly with portfolio organizations on critical business projects, including customer and competitor research, refining business models, optimizing operations, and crafting go-to-market strategies and pitches.
- Event Marketing & Logistics: Co-led the planning and execution of a high-profile Demo Day event, showcasing 12 organizations to an audience of 100+ investors and workforce ecosystem stakeholders. Managed internal and external communications, volunteer coordination, vendor relationships, invitations, and event logistics in partnership with the Program Manager.
- Product Development & Market Positioning: Partnered with accelerator companies to refine product positioning, develop compelling narratives, and prepare market-ready pitches for Demo Day, driving investor interest and ecosystem engagement.
Data Analyst
Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion (LEAD)
05.2021 - 10.2021
- Contracted data analyst for LEAD Longmont, responsible for evaluating the effectiveness of their community-based diversion approach to crime through data collection, analysis, and reporting. Developed inclusion criteria for participant data, implemented data collection strategies, merged datasets from CiviCore, prison, and public safety databases, conducted statistical analysis using Stata, and generated reports and visualizations for program use.
- Co-authored a final evaluation paper quantitatively assessing outcomes with Executive Director.
Instructor & Coach, Aerie Program
The Wheeler School
09.2017 - 06.2021
- Served as High School Debate Team Assistant Coach and taught various K-12 courses, including Turkish, Debate, and Art at Wheeler School. Developed comprehensive class schedules and curricula, designed lesson plans, assessed student progress, provided feedback, and created engaging classroom activities. Mentored 50+ high school debate students, conducted weekly and monthly practice sessions, and organized and supervised tournaments for the Rhode Island Urban Debate League.
Education
Bachelor of Arts - Economics & Political Science
Brown University
05-2021
International Baccalaureate -
Fairview High School
05-2017
Skills
- Go-to-Market Strategy
- Market Research & Analysis
- Storytelling & Messaging
- Project Management
- Sales Enablement
- Stakeholder Engagement
- Impact Measurement & Reporting
- Cross-Functional Collaboration
- Languages: English (fluent), Turkish (fluent), Spanish (conversational)
Timeline
Development Manager
Watson Institute
02.2023 - Current
Senior Business Development Manager & Director of Marketing
PeduL
04.2022 - 02.2023
Lead Associate
Techstars
08.2021 - 04.2022
Data Analyst
Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion (LEAD)
05.2021 - 10.2021
Instructor & Coach, Aerie Program
The Wheeler School
09.2017 - 06.2021
Bachelor of Arts - Economics & Political Science
Brown University
International Baccalaureate -
Fairview High School
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